Cosmic Explorer: Pushing the gravitational-wave frontier across astronomy, physics, and cosmology

Gravitational-wave astronomy has revolutionized humanity's view of the universe, a revolution driven by observations that no other field can make. In this talk, I will describe the scientific reach and discovery potential of the Cosmic Explorer—a next generation gravitational wave detector concept. Cosmic Explorer will deliver an order-of-magnitude greater sensitivity than LIGO, pushing the gravitational-wave frontier to almost the edge of the observable universe. With the unprecedented sensitivity that only a new facility can deliver, Cosmic Explorer will also make discoveries that cannot yet be anticipated. By delivering revolutionary observations across astronomy, physics, and cosmology, Cosmic Explorer will allow the United States to continue its leading role in gravitational-wave science.